Kanye 2020: A Social Media Strategy Proposal

We were surprised when you suggested a presidential run during the MTV awards just over a week ago. Whether or not you were serious, the idea sparked something here at Hootsuite.

We started thinking about all the implications you running for president would have, on the election and on politics. Would a Kanye presidential run result in the highest youth vote ever? Would the role of social media only increase with you as a contender? And how well could you do in the polls? If Donald Trump and “Deez Nuts” can lead in polls, surely you have a good chance at it.

With all those questions in mind, we thought we would take a crack at an early proposal for your social media strategy. The following is the basis on which we believe you could build a successful social media campaign for Kanye 2020.

Have a read through, and let us know what you think.

The Hootsuite crew

Goals and KPIs

Kanye, you will have no problem connecting with young people. They already know everything about you and your family, follow your every move, listen to your music, and wear your clothes. While many candidates use social to teach people about themselves, to come off as personable and try and build that familiarity, you already have that with a large percentage of Americans. Instead, we would focus your social media efforts around two goals:

Encouraging young people to register and vote

Sharing your platform, proving your political knowledge

Though you’ll have no problem connecting with young people, this group unfortunately does not vote in large numbers. Encouraging young people to register and vote is therefore essential to your campaign. Plus, you have a long association with a key word here. To support this campaign, we suggest using the hashtag #lateregistration. The tie in will resonate with fans, and earn you points for humor.

In terms of a KPI for this goal, point people to the government’s voter registration page and track click-through to that page. If the data on voting registrations is public, see if your social media messages coincide with a rise in voter registrations. The second goal, sharing your platform, should focus on creating engaging messaging and visuals and proving your credentials. Here are a few concepts that come to mind:

An infographic comparing the number of countries you have spent time in, versus those your opponents have visited (use those tours to your advantage)

Text-based images which use the anti-violence message in your music

Using the hashtag #TheNewWorkoutPlan to share your healthcare plans

Using the hashtags #Graduation and #CollegeDropout to ask followers for their education stories, to be used for UGC

The KPI for this goal can go in any number of directions. You can ask people to sign up to show their support for you through the content you share. You can fundraise through social. Or just track your social share of voice compared to competitors.

Branding and hashtag

Ten years later I am still the same kid from Chicago, still dreaming out loud, still banging on the door.

The Kanye West brand is internationally known. Branding won’t be an issue for you. We’ve created a logo for your campaign that we feel is representative of you and would resonate well with your followers. It’s also optimized for social media, meaning it would work regardless of sizing and social network.

We’ve also suggested the following campaign slogan: Kanye 2020 – No One Man. Adapted from the The “no one man should have all that power” line, we feel this slogan emphasizes you as a supporter of the people and of the democratic process. It represents your feelings on authority and the political system, and reassures people that you wouldn’t abuse your power, all while capitalizing on existing impressions you’ve made through your music.

In terms of hashtags, some might suggest you go for the funny or the clever, like #BROTUS for example. However, to win over the doubters, those outside of your core base, we recommend using the standard and professional looking #Kanye2020.

Whatever branding you choose, it’s important that you’re consistent across platforms. Currently your Twitter account is the only account you actually maintain. When you create other profiles—and you should create profiles on Facebook and Instagram—you should ensure the profile photos are all consistent. This image should probably be your campaign logo, or at least a headshot of you (not cartoon you).

Although the white background looks stylish, you’re also not taking advantage of the cover photo space on Twitter. This real estate could easily become a place to share important campaign information, or simple emphasize your platform.

Content calendar and paid social advertising

Kanye, you’ve been known to take to Twitter in bursts, or “rants.” While this format might work well in certain situations where you want to emphasize the importance of your stance, after a newsworthy event for example, in general you want to keep to a more regular posting schedule. Try and schedule a post for every hour or two throughout the day, hitting all the time zones within the U.S. A regular routine will help followers know when they can expect something from you, and hopefully increase the likelihood that they’ll follow along. Plus, the rant format with more content works well on other networks, like Facebook or Google+.

Since you’ve already got the attention of young audiences, paid social media advertising will be an integral part of your campaign to reach older voters. Paid social allows you to target audiences based on age, among other factors. You should be targeting social media messaging about your platform and credentials to older voters, even those 60+, to ensure that they’re seeing your message. You might even consider targeting other qualities, from interests (music? hiphop? fashion?) to education level or career.

Crisis Management

Let’s be blunt: you’re no stranger to controversy. But that’s an advantage in this case. You’ve very publicly apologized in the past and came out of that looking better for it.

I would like to publicly apologize to Beck, I’m sorry Beck. — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 26, 2015

It’s important to take this tack on social media. We like to say that you shouldn’t feed the trolls. If people raise worthwhile concerns or issues, don’t be afraid to apologize and acknowledge these issues. If small time trolls give your grief, which they will, ignore them.

Future social networks

2020 is still close to five years away. A lot can change in five years when it comes to social media. Actually, everything can change.

It’s important that, should you actually want to run, you pay attention to shifts in the social media industry. The earlier you can get onto these platforms, the more attention you’ll earn from their growing user bases. Adopting a social network early on shows that you’re paying attention, and can give you a serious leg up on candidates who only turn to social media during the election cycle.

In the end, you already have an incredible following, which will make it much easier for you to use social media as a pillar of your campaign. Plus, if you have any social media questions, you could always ask your wife—she knows what she’s doing.